THE WINNER!!! Gib Parrish top five most influential researchers for 2010

Silly grin from ear to ear!

It is official! 

Today Robert Woods Johnson Foundation announced the

winners for the most influential research articles of 2010.

We are delighted for all 20 nominees and congratulate the five winners 

And, we are ecstatic and grateful that Dr. R. Gib Parrish

was among this happy group of esteemed scientists 

for his paper "measuring population health outcomes"

To have ones work recognized and nominated by RWJF is an honor

An honor made more poignant and powerful because the final selection comes from the votes of his peers -- fellow scientists and health practitioners 

This support is humbling and a source of great joy

Sometimes nice guys finish first-- or the top five.

Thanks to the RWJ Foundation for their continued advocacy in public health and all its determinants and interconnected forces.

Links to the announcement by RWJ and to the articles themselves are included below.

So, what is the big deal?  In this paper Gib proposes specific ways to measure whether a population is healthy that goes beyond the familiar approach-- counting death and disease ---  but includes life expectancy, social factors and an individuals personal perception of their health. This seemingly simple list represents years of research and operationalizes a paradigm that has emerged from the recognition that we are social creatures.  The length of our lives and the occurrence of disease is inextricably linked to our sense of connection and efficacy.  Moreover, we have valid ways to measure these factors and we should do so much more avidly in surveys, information systems, and health investigations.  The view of ourselves as separate and separated-- physical bodies separate from mind, people separated from each other is not only unscientific but a kind of blindness we have grown beyond.

Congratulations also to Dr. Ross Brownson for his paper on measuring health policy. Finally, it is a great personal satisfaction to see the article on nurse practitioners included among the winners.

Top five winners!!

and his paper

Measuring population health by R. Gib Parrish

Yippeee!!!  Make a fuss.

Congratulations Gib Parrish -- On top 20 list of most read articles for 2010

R. Gib Parrish

Congratulations Dr. R. Gib Parrish!  2010 Year in Research Nominee

Every year, the prestigious foundation- Robert Woods Johnson (RWJF) reviews the research they have funded and they select the most influential research articles for the year.  These nominations and the Research award provide the Foundation an opportunity to recognize the excellent work of these scientists grantees.  The top 20 articles nominated for 2010 represent not only excellent research and scholarship but, were also the most frequently viewed research articles on RWJF.org in the past year."

The title of the paper was:  Measuring Population Health Outcomes

By: Parrish RG

In: Preventing Chronic Disease: Public Health Research, Practice, and Policy, 7(4)

Publisher: Centers for Disease Control and Prevention

Published: July 2010 
 

Next?  They hope to narrow down the list from 20  to the top 5 articles.  The Foundations says, "We need your help to select those articles that most that influenced policy and practice, shaped our thinking about health and health care or stood out in other ways. Using the voting buttons in the link below, please select your top 5.  See the  Twenty most viewed articles 2010- Robert Woods Johnson
All are available online and, if you want , cast your ballot for up to five.
Polls are open until December 23 and results will be published in early January, so please vote now!"

We are this pleased and proud. (photo Michael Jermyn)

Join us-- send Gib kudos and drop him a line or give a call
Email:  Gib.parrish@gmailcom
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Summary of nominated 2010 Research Paper"Measuring Population Health Outcomes" 

by R. G. Parrish

An ideal population health outcome metric should reflect a population’s dynamic state of physical, mental and social well-being. Positive health outcomes include being alive; functioning well mentally, physically and socially; and having a sense of well-being. Negative outcomes include death, loss of function, and lack of well-being. In contrast to these health outcomes, diseases and injuries are intermediate factors that influence the likelihood of achieving a state of health.

On the basis of a review of outcomes metrics currently in use and the availability of data for at least some U.S. counties, the author recommends the following metrics for population health outcomes:

1. Life expectancy from birth, or age-adjusted mortality rate;
2. Condition-specific changes in life expectancy, or condition-specific or age-specific mortality rates; and
3. Self-reported level of health, functional status, and experiential status.

When reported, outcome metrics should present both the overall level of health of a population and the distribution of health among different geographic, economic and demographic groups in the population.

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Best wishes to all of you in these cold winter days as the solstice approaches and many festivities begin.
Peace
Sharon